Indian spiced chicken wings with tamarind dipping sauce pack tons of flavour into what is already the world’s most perfect food.
Who doesn’t love chicken wings?
I mean seriously – what’s better than chicken wings? Crispy chicken goodness with the maximum skin to meat ratio. Add a bit of smoky grilled goodness. Eat them with your hands. So tasty. So fun.
OK – maybe I like chicken wings more than most people but how can you not love them? Especially buffalo chicken wings. That’s just artery clogging genius.
Take a piece of chicken that is mostly fat anyway. Deep fry it. Toss in a sauce that is nothing more than Frank’s Red Hot sauce and butter. How can you go wrong? Absolutely delicious. Genius really. Might slap on a few pounds if you eat them often. But as a treat once in while…
Grilling is the secret to Indian spiced chicken wings
Grilling is a little better. Not deep fried at least. And this recipe doesn’t add melted butter. So that’s a step in a healthier direction. Lots of flavour. And a little less guilt. If that’s something that bothers you.
I actually think grilling wings is the way to go. You get the crispy skin. You get the kiss of smoke. And you don’t have to heat up a vat of oil. You don’t have to worry about your house smelling like a KFC. Easier. But still delicious.
I can still remember how surprised I was the first time I tried it. Might even be better than buffalo wings. If you don’t feel like Indian spiced chicken wings try them sprinkled with Old Bay and a bit of cayenne. Seriously. You can’t believe how good that it.
indian spiced chicken wings with tamarind dipping sauce
Ingredients
Indian spiced chicken wings
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp mild kashmiri chili powder - or 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 Tbsp cumin powder
- 1 Tbsp coriander powder
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp granulated garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 3 lbs split chicken wings - tips saved for stock
- Enough vegetable oil to coat the wings
- Fresh lime to drizzle over the wings
Tamarind dipping sauce
- 2/3 cup water
- 1 Tbsp tamarind paste - available at any Asian grocery store
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/4 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp Kashmiri chili powder
Instructions
Indian spiced chicken wings
- Combine the turmeric, chili powder, cumin, coriander, salt, granulated garlic powder, ginger powder and paprika in a small bowl. This is your spice mix.
- Toss the wings in enough oil to coat. You don’t need to drown them but you do need enough to coat.
- Sprinkle the wings with the spice mix and toss.
- Prepare your grill for medium-high indirect heat. As always, I prefer charcoal for the flavour.
- Grill the wings for 10 minutes then flip the wings. Cook the wings for about another 10 minutes. They should be crispy but not dry so be careful not to overcook them.
- If you want some grill marks or char, cook them quickly over direct heat to finish. Don’t try to cook them over direct heat all at once. That’s a good way to end up with burned wings. 5-6 at a time is a good pace.
- Drizzle them with fresh squeezed lime juice (this is key for everything to come together) and serve with tamarind dipping sauce if you want.
Tamarind dipping sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a small, non-reactive saucepan.
- Simmer until reduced by about half. This takes around 15-20 minutes. You can do this while the wings are grilling.
- Let cool slightly and serve.
Nutrition
Yucatan pulled pork – cochinita pibil – is one the most flavourful pulled pork dishes out there. It’s loaded with big citrus and achiote taste.
Roasted garlic and some good old fashioned smoke pushes it way over the top. This is pulled pork Mexican style.
If you are thinking about a taco party it’s not easy to do better than this. Seriously. I smile when I make this. Because I know everyone will love it. Because I know I will love it.
Cochinita pibil – easy and delicious
And because it’s almost impossible to screw up. Make it with pork shoulder. Pork shoulder is probably the most forgiving cut of meat going. When was the last time you had really bad pulled pork?
If you search for cochinita pibil, you’ll find recipes ranging from near impossible to slow cooker wanna be’s. This one sits in the middle.
Mix up a few ingredients in the blender. Marinate some meat. Wrap it up in parchment. Put it in a pan. Toss it all on the grill and walk away. Come back when it’s fork tender and shred it. Drizzle the juices over the meat. Eat. Smile. Perfect.
It’s not particularly hard but it’s not throw it into a crockpot and hope it will turn out either. And the results are way closer to the near impossible end of the spectrum.
A couple tricks
Achiote paste is a compromise here. Big simplification. No sourcing annatto seeds. No toasting and grinding spices. Not super-authentic maybe but achiote paste comes from the Yucatan so it’s not like I’m pushing Hamburger Helper here either.
Parchment is the other cop-out. No banana leaves. Cochinita pibil relies on smoke and steam. Parchment is an easy way to do just that.
But these are minor variations from the truly authentic. And the flavours won’t suffer. It is still absolutely awesome pulled pork. Cochinita pibil. Well seasoned. Smoky. Delicious.
